Open-toed horseshoe.



. sides.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IRVING J. BAYLESS, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

OPEN-TOED HORSESHOE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 665,050, dated January1, 1901. Application filed February 23, 1900. Serial No. 6,218. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, IRVING J. BAYLESS, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State ofMissouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Open ToedHorseshoes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in horseshoes and to a novel methodof constructing the shoe proper, which consists in leaving the front endof the shoe open until after it has been conformed to the shape of thehorses foot, so that such conformation can be effected without anychanges in the heel portion of the shoe and all necessary modificationsfrom the normal form, as produced by the dies, be accomplished by properbending up or other manipulation of the toe portion.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of the under sideof a completed horseshoe constructed according to my invention. Fig. 2is an edgewise front view. Fig. 3 is a similar view before the dividedfront sections of the shoe are welded together. Fig. 4 is a verticallongitudinal section of the rear portion of the shoe, the under sidebeing upward, on the line IV IV of Fig. l.

The shoe is formed with a bar portion 1, extending entirely across itsrear end, the same being integral with or rigidly secured to the Thefront portion of the shoe as it comes from the dies is entirely open,with wedge-shaped terminals 2 3, as shown in Fig. 3, in which figure,however, the terminals are shown as having been brought partiallytogether preparatory to welding. This method of manufacturing the shoemakes it possible for the blacksmith to fit the shoe to the hoof bybending in or out the toe-sections without disturbing the heel portion.-After the toesections 2 3 have been welded together the calk at and tip5 are added. The inner edges of the shoe, including'the bar, areprovided with an outward bevel, as shown at 6 in Figs. 1 and 4:, toprevent the accumulation of snow or other matter. The shoe is providedwith the usual grooves 7 for receiving the nailheads.

The pad or cushion 8 is preferably of rubber, but may be of anypreferred material suitable for the purpose. It is secured to the underside of the bar portion of the shoe by forcing it into aninwardly-beveled seat or recess 9, formed in the body of such barportion and extending into it a suitable distance. The general form ofsuch recess will of course correspond to that of the pad, which may beof the shape shown in Fig. 1 or any preferred modification of it, theintention being to have the pad underlie and support the greater part.of the rear portion of the animals hoof. One of the margins or sides ofsaid recess, preferably the rear one, is cut vertically or at a rightangle to the under surface of the bar, as shown at 10, Fig. 4; but theother three margins are cut with an inward bevel, as shown at 11, sothat when the pad is once placed in position it will be held therein byits own elasticity.

The front and side margins of the pad are beveled outwardly to fit theinward bevel of the corresponding portions of the recess. To insert thepad within the recess, it is only necessary to cramp it up slightly andinsert the beveled margins first, after which the vertical margin willfit into the recess and abut against the vertical margin of the recessin an obvious manner.

After being once placed in position the pad will be secured from fallingout by its own elasticity and needs no other fastening. When worn out,the remnant may be removed by reversing the movements employed ininserting it.

Having described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure byLetters Patent-- A horseshoe comprising a bar portion integral with orattached to the rear ends of the side portions, and side portionssevered from each other, and provided with wedge-shaped terminals, attheir front ends, adaptingthe shoe to be fitted to the hoof from theheel forwardly, and said terminals to be weldedtogether thereafter,substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

IRVING J. BAYLESS.

Witnesses:

M. L. LANGE, K. M. IMBODEN.

